


Smoke + Mirrors: Voltron Fantasy AU Albumfic

by Sciencelings



Series: Voltron Fantasy AU- Imagine Dragons Albumfics [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Avian Shiro, BAMF Pidge | Katie Holt, Badass Pidge, Changing Perspective, Dark Elf Prince Lotor, Earthbender Hunk (Voltron), Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone is equally badass, F/F, Fairy queen Pidge, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fire King Keith, Infinity Gems, Lesbians in Space, Marvel References, Nymph Prince Lance, POV Third Person Limited, Plot, Shapeshifter Allura, because elemental magic is boring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-04-08 17:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14110056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sciencelings/pseuds/Sciencelings
Summary: In a world where Darkness is overtaking the light, The Princess of the now destroyed kingdom of light has to find the guardians of the mythical stones with infinite power. She always seems to arrive at the worst times.(Currently on hiatus because I can't get my life together and the Voltron fandom is toxic AF)





	1. Allura- Gold

First comes the blessing of all that you've dreamed  
But then comes the curses of diamonds and rings  
Only at first did it have its appeal  
But now you can't tell the false from the real  
Who can you trust?

Statues and empires are all at your hands,  
Water to wine and the finest of sands  
When all that you have's turnin' stale and its cold,  
Oh you'll no longer fear when your heart's turned to gold  
Who can you trust

I’m dying to feel again,  
Oh anything at all,  
But oh I feel nothin', nothin', nothin', nothin' at all

[BI] When everything you touch turns to gold

Allura was the princess of the kingdom of light. Keyword: was. Her castle was in flames and she was being rushed away on a white horse from the attack that had killed her father only moments ago. She didn’t have the luxury to mourn. Not yet. Her ginger haired royal advisor had rushed her out of bed just in time to see her father's murder from the hands of the emperor of the Dark kingdom. 

The land was divided into two basic kingdoms. The light and the dark. Neither were inherently bad or good. Within each kingdom, there contained multiple tribes and groups of people that were placed in important parts of the terrain, for example, the fire subkingdom was ruled by Keith Kogane, the chosen one of the reality stone, is located in and around a lange volcano that only those with the gift of fire resistance can enter. Of course there were garments to grant temporary immunity to the violent heat for those important or rich enough. Although Allura wasn’t headed to the volcano today. She was rushing to the closest safe place for her. The cliffs. Home to the Air tribes led by chief Takashi Shirogane. The Guardian of the Space stone. A force that chose its single user that potentially had the power of instant transportation and so much more. There were six stones with such infinite power. They were only wielded by the most powerful and those who were worthy of their power. All of the stones combined could create immense destruction. That is why they were kept so far apart. The stones were no light burden.

Even after all of her trauma, she fell asleep on her horse. She woke up to her royal advisor Coran shaking her gently. They were in front of the borders to the domain of the air tribe. The sun was just barely rising with an uneasy red tinge. When Allura looked back to where they had come from she just saw smoke and an odd shadowy darkness enveloping the kingdom that had previously been her birthright to rule. Now it was destroyed as far as she knew. She was the princess of a kingdom that was in ruins and that fact made her heart sink. But she had not time to grieve. Winged men dressing in elaborate armour approached them and spoke to Coran for a moment before leading them within the territory. As she had been educated, the people who lived here were Avian with bright assortments of colors of their wings and lived in high places and along the cliff edge. They carefully made their way through the thin pathway between the cliff edge and steep rock. After quite a while they made it to a majestic building Allura could only describe as a sharp steel palace. It had a quite simplistic and smooth design that was oddly elegant and regal in its own way. She was helped off of her horse before they were led inside and angular doorway into a vast throne room with a muscular asian man with long black hair with a streik of stark white sitting stiffly on the throne. His dark wings raised when he noticed them enter. This man must be Takashi Shirogane. Allura immediately bowed deeply and everyone else in the room followed suit. 

“Chief Shirogane, as I’m sure you are aware, I am- I was the Princess of the Kingdom of light. We need your help. The Empire of Darkness is growing and soon it won’t just be the light they will be wiping out. Please, Great Guardian of the Space stone, help us.” She lowered her head and hoped that she said the right things. There was a terrible moment before she heard the man speak. 

“You do realize that I will not be enough to defeat the darkness. I will agree because it may be our only chance to save all of the kingdoms from being utterly destroyed. But we will need help. This may be the time to join the stones Princess.” The young man’s voice echoed throughout the room and sent chills down Alluras spine. 

“I realized this. We must unite to keep the darkness at bay. Will you join me to recruit the other guardians?” She practically begged. 

“I am not sure we have much of a choice. I must attempt to save my people. Stay here for the night while we prepare for the journey. I’m sure after your misfortunes you will need some rest and a few good meals. We will depart tomorrow morning.” He said calmly despite the circumstances. 

“Thank you. I could never repay the debt of such a deed.” she showed her gratitude with a polite smile. 

“You don’t need to. Now show them to the royal guest suite. I have some preparations to make after this news.” and then the conversation was over and they were led by some more guards to a surprisingly comfortable looking room in the foreign castle. 

Once Coran had settled in his room, Allura let herself break down. Something she would have never done in front of people. She was taught not to. She was calm even in the most tense of situations but she had finally let herself feel and she couldn’t even hope to contain the tears cascading down her face. Soon she was full on sobbing and she had to sit down to prevent herself from crumpling to the ground. Eventually her violent sobs turned into dry heaves and she became physically exhausted or at least more than before. She decided that Coran could talk to the chief if he needed to. Allura needed to rest for a bit. She hoped that Takashi would understand. She drifted off to sleep in the same nightgown that she had escaped her burning kingdom in. 

***

Allura woke up hours later with warm sunshine easing through the window that she had failed to notice earlier. She was too busy having a well deserved emotional breakdown.

She stretched and rose from the soft bed before noticing some traditional air tribe clothing that someone had laid out for her. They were fashionably baggy and naturally warm as the cliff was naturally a very cold place to live. Although most of the natives were equipped with wings that were were very good for keeping warm. Their color scheme seemed mostly different shades of purple with bits of blue, pink and black scattered throughout the layers of the clothing. There was also a lot of silver around the edges and royal symbol embroidery. 

She put on the clothes and fixed her hair in front of the vanity before leaving the room with a straight back and her practiced calm expression. She made her way to the throne room where Chief Shirogane was reading a traditional scroll while a huge black lion sat by his side occasionally butting his head against the throne for pats as if it wasn’t a huge vicious animal and instead a tame pet. 

“Excuse me? Am I intruding?” She said as she entered the room. Takashi looked at her and gave her a welcoming smile that eased her nerves a bit. 

“Not at all. I hope you slept well. This morning must have been exhausting for you.” He stood up and carefully rolled up the scroll before setting it down by the throne. 

“I did surprisingly enough. Thank you Takashi. I hope that I haven’t missed much.” She smiled back more of as a sign of respect than actual happiness. She felt pretty far from that emotion. 

“I can give you all of the information that you need on our way to the fire kingdom. Prince Keith’s coronation is soon so I hope we will make it at a convenient time. We will need him to defeat the darkness. Please call me Shiro, I’m tired of people calling me by my full name.” He chuckled kindly.

“Alright Shiro, How early can we leave?” She didn’t mean to sound in a rush but she was. Emperor Zarkon wouldn’t be settled with just the throne of the kingdom of light. He would want the stones for infinite power and she couldn’t let that happen. 

“We can leave as soon as tonight but we may need supplies and I refuse to use the stone for trivial matters when it will only take a few hours to reach the Fire Kingdom.” He seemed to understand her urgency. “And I don’t mean that this is a trivial matter, This is clearly very important but the space stone cannot really transport for that short of distances. As well as it is a difficult power to control so it may be useless to use in this circumstance.” he clarified. 

Allura knew the power of the stones so she agreed. They weren’t for traveling one hundred miles. It was too powerful for just a simple transport across land. 

“I understand. I know we will need the proper preparations for the places we plan to go.” She nodded. 

“Come, you must be hungry. We also should discuss the plan to keep this world from falling to the darkness.”


	2. Shiro- Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what happens when Shiro and Allura meet Keith, and what is the Fire Kingdom like?

I took a photograph of me  
When I was only nineteen  
I looked a little lost at sea  
I keep trying to find me

So pray for me brother  
I need redemption  
I'm just a man  
A man on a mission  
I want no trouble

Pray for me sister  
Give me a mention  
I got no faith  
And oh did I mention  
I want no trouble

Maybe you could save my soul  
Of all the things that I don’t know  
Maybe you could save my soul  
Of all the things that I don’t know,

***

Shiro left Coran, Princess Allura’s advisor, in charge of his tribe until he returned. If he returned but he tried to be optimistic. 

He rode his black lion rather than a horse like the princess. The lion was a potential weapon as well so he wasn’t going to leave his trusted friend behind. He made sure that his magical prosthetic that had the purple space stone firmly attached to the back of its metal hand, was fully functional before the trip. It was his main weapon but he did have a giant sword just in case. 

After they adorned the fire-resistant garb that would allow them to not catch fire in the kingdom of fire, they departed the sky tribe. The garments were made of rare dragon-scales and enchanted titanium chainmail that kept them from overheating too much. Shiro had the same metal covering the coverts of his dark wings but leaving the long feathers out in the open; which wouldn’t be a problem unless he literally dipped them in lava. They were surprisingly heat resistant. 

The left at dusk and it only took a few hours to reach the kingdom of fire. The guards recognised Shiro so they let him in without a second look. The road was rough volcanic rock and swirls of volcanic glass. There was a mixture of people with either scantily clad clothing or armour similar to his and Alluras. Only certain kinds of hybrids could naturally resist the intense heat so close to the volcano. 

They were led to an obsidian palace with lots of colorful stained glass scattered around its shining domed surface. The cracked opal lining of the void glass road gradually became filled with gold and there were gradually less people around the beautiful palace.

They disembarked their steeds before they were allowed to walk into the first of many arches to enter the fire palace. Shiro automatically knew the way to the throne room and it only took a minute to get there where his old friend Keith was lounging in his throne with a sunset red lioness leaning at his side and looking at Allura wearily. It only took a few moments for Keith to notice their entrance. 

“Shiro? I am not at all surprised that you decided to show up right before my coordination. Who is the pretty lady accompanying you?” The fire prince said cooly. 

“This is Allura. The heir to the throne of the light kingdom. The one that was destroyed yesterday in the early morning.” Shiro said as he saw Keith visibly wince. 

“I’m so sorry… I’m guessing my coordination isn’t the only reason you decided to visit me…” Keith smiled sadly at them. Out of every leader Shiro had the pleasure of meeting, Keith was one of the most easy to read. He didn’t usually try to hide his emotions. Everyone around him could see how he honestly felt. 

“Unfortunately not. We’re trying to gather the stones. The Dark Empire is taking over and we have no other way to fight back.” Shiro said calmly despite the urgency of the issue. 

“We have to talk to… the Water tribes don’t we…” Keith sighed. This seemed to be his only issue with the request. 

“Of course but it’s for the greater good.” Shiro reasoned as Keith sighed. 

“Fine… but I won’t be able to leave until I am officially crowned. So maybe we can try to plan more while we are stuck here.” The dark haired prince suggested. He didn’t seem too excited to meet with the Water Tribes but he wasn’t refusing to go with them which Shiro appreciated. 

“I understand. We do need time to inform you of what we have already planned. And it would be nice to go do something positive…” Shiro was worried and really wanted to get going but this would likely only take a day. The dark emperor was likely still working on conquering the light kingdom. It was the largest kingdom next to the dark kingdom and it was full of powerful people. So there were at least people there to slow down the spread of the darkness. But not for long.

“Well then I can get you some of my staff to help you get ready and uh, help you get adequately dressed while not burning up in our intense environment.” Keith motioned to a few servants and guards who swiftly led them to separate rooms. Shiro assumed that Keith didn’t want to talk to them or he just needed time to process. Then he realized how intensive it would be to get ready for the celebration. 

There were a lot of traditions to fulfill for the occasion. It would have been overwhelming if he didn’t know what they were beforehand. He was taken to a dim room with only cool lighting coming from stained glass in an image that he couldn’t recognize. The only sound was of seemingly distant drums in a rhythm that was a mixture of calming and intense. The silhouettes of servants entered the room and Shiro felt like he was hit with the smell that was unrecognizable to him. It seemed like mixture of earthy smells and something oddly sweet. 

He let the red face-painted people around him gently take off his thermal armour and he anticipated the heavy heat but was met with the surprisingly cool air of the room. Suddenly the ground of the room started to fill with warm, fragrant water. He felt a warm hand covered in some sort of liquid between his wings, Shiro imagined the liquid covering the foreign hand to be the same type of paint like what most of the other people in the subkingdom had graced around their bodies. The warm hand on his back lightly grazed down his spine and seemed to be creating some unseen design. 

Shiro closed his eyes as the designs were painted on his face under his eyes, around his lips, and scar across his nose. He felt a soft, chalk-like substance being thrown on his body and over his new painted marks. The pounding of the drums seemed to get louder and affected the water at his feet. He felt light traditional clothing being draped over him leaving his scarred chest in the open and giving him lots of jewelry around his body. 

Before he knew it, he was led to a mirror. His hair was tightly braided and tied in a bun behind his head with chains of red gold crowning him. He had linear purple designs around his face and copper lining delicately around his scar that showed it off instead of hiding it like his culture would. He realized that it had been done to all of his scars. It was beautiful in a way that he wasn’t aware of before. 

The traditional garb was light and a similar purple to his symbolic body paint. The transparent fabric showed off a lot of his body which was slightly uncomfortable for him but he wasn’t going to do anything about it. He was led out of the room and the intense heat seemed much less potent. He was led to the throne room where moments later a group of female servants brought in Allura who had obviously gotten a similar treatment. Her painted markings unlike his, were white and a metallic pink. Her clothing had more coverage than his which he was sure she was grateful for. Her clothes were also white and had much more delicate embroidery than his did and he assumed that it was because hers was more of a feminine style. 

This was when Keith walked in. He wore fiery red fabric and gold everywhere. His shoulder length hair was carefully braided and put in a tasteful ponytail. His normal red markings were combined with multiple fiery shades and extra swirling designs for the special occasion. 

“The coordination starts in an hour. You have that long to explain what is going to be happening.”


	3. Keith- I'm So Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at fight scenes and more news at eleven.

About time for anyone telling you off for all your deeds  
No sign the roaring thunder stopped in cold to read  
No time  
Get mine and make no excuses waste of precious breath  
No time  
The sun shines on everyone, everyone love yourself to death

So you gotta fire up, you gotta let go  
You'll never be loved till you've made your own  
You gotta face up, you gotta get yours  
You never know the top till you get too low

No lies and no deceiving, that is what he loves  
I keep tryin' to conceive that death is from above  
No time  
I get by and make no excuses waste of precious breath  
No time  
The sun shines on everyone, everyone love yourself to death

Life isn't always what you think it'd be  
Turn your head for one second and the tables turn  
And I know, I know that I did you wrong  
But will you trust me when I say that I'll  
Make it up to you somehow, somehow  
So you gotta fire up, you gotta let go  
You'll never be loved till you've made your own  
You gotta face up, you gotta get yours  
You never know the top till you get too low

A son of a stepfather  
A son of a  
[BI] I'm so sorry

 

***

 

Keith had only moments until he would be crowned. Of course, fate had other plans.   
After hours of preparation and memorization of ancient coronation rites, It all came down to a single moment in front of the thousands of his people that could fit into the large ceremonial room under the obsidian dome within his palace. He was incredibly anxious. Although he was practically already the king, All he got was a special new crown. But the whole over-the-top ceremony was making him panic more than he was willing to admit. 

Shiro, The King of the Air Tribe, and Allura, The former Princess of the Kingdom of Light, were sitting on the side of Keiths own throne in temporary thrones that were meant for royal visitors. Shiro was smiling supportively and, as usual, acted warmer than he looked. He was an incredibly muscled man with his torso littered in scars that were now lined in special metallic paint. There were so many that he almost felt pity for the servants who had to get him ready. AS well as being intimidating, He also was missing and arm that was replaced with a silver gauntlet that held the mesmerizing space stone in the back of where his hand would be. The gauntlet was intricately designed and magically connected to Shiro’s brain and was created by the, now missing, heir to the throne of the forest clan Matthew Holt. 

But anyway, Keith was getting crowned and a man with fluffy, fur-like purple hair that made little cat ears on the sides of his head, was reciting the coronation rites in the ancient language. This man was Keith’s mentor Kolovan. He was strict and sometimes annoying but the closest thing to a father figure that he had ever had. Once Kolivan had finished talking, Keith replied in the memorized language that he had taken weeks to remember. 

“Sui i réd -o i Phoenix, cóon -o naur, Guardian -o i Realitui sarn plural serni, im accept i position sui aran plural erain or erein -o i arnad -o naur.“ As the Son of the Phoenix, Prince of Fire, Guardian of the Reality Stone, I accept the position as King of the Kingdom of Fire. 

Kolivan nodded briefly as Keith knelt in front of the man and he felt the crown lower on his head. Before it could rest on his head though, a frantic guard ran in and Keith immediately knew that something had gone wrong. 

“The beasts have broken through the western border! They could be here any moment my lord.” The man spoke and Keith stood back up with the new crown on his head. 

“Evacuate the city. If you can’t do that in time, Put everyone in the siege bunkers. I will go out there myself.” He decided quickly. He looked to shiro as if he were an old friend. Probably because he was an old friend. “ If I were you I would flee. But I will give you the choice. Fight with us and help me protect my people, or escape to the Realm of Stone or the Water Tribes.’ Shiro stood up and Allura after him.

“Why not both. We need you Keith.” Allura seemed used to not talking but she had an aggressive aura as if she was silently saying, ‘If you say no i will snap your neck with my thumb.’

“Sounds fantastic, Kolivan, You’re in charge until I get back. If I don’t die first. If I do, getting another king is your responsibility.” Keith smiled with a surprising amount of optimism. He held out his hand behind his back and a massive dark sword with a glowing red stone fused to the hild flew into his hand. He felt his red markings glow like hot coals when he got close enough to the stone. 

“Joining us Princess?” Keith smiled at the woman that he barely knew. He saw a smirk in her eyes and a little worried glance from Shiro.

“I don’t know if she-” Shiro started.

“Hell yes.” Allura grinned as she interrupted the intimidating winged man.

***

It took them a few minutes to get to their respective steeds, Keith’s of which was a large, fluffy. fiery red male lion with piercing yellow eyes. Keith’s lion was cuddling with Shiro’s black lion when they all ran in. 

It took them a few more minutes to leave the castle and head to the broken border. They heard the dark beasts before they saw them. They were wheezing whispers and muffled screams before smokey beasts emerged from the volcanic rocks. They were very vaguely dogs but they seemed made of poisonous smoke. 

A blast of dark violet energy shot out of Shiro’s gauntlet and the creature dissipated. But that was just the scout dog. Keith knew that soon there would be way too many to deal with. Allura took out a simple white metal stalf with simple designs of blue and pink and white glowing edges. 

They cautiously reached the edge of the crater and dark, smokey figures started to emerge from the opposite end of the valley. Keith took a calming breath before raising his sword. It was three, incredibly powerful royals against a dark army. Keith almost felt pity for the army. Slowly the groups closed in on each other and Keith eyed the general of the opposing army. Keith’s eyes started to glow red as he let out a battle cry and charged towards the army. Shiro and Allura followed suit with their own blood curdling screams. 

An odd pulsing aura had consumed the winged man and he disappeared from the top of his lion but Keith didn’t focus too hard. Keith closed his eyes and the reality stone glowed violently before changing the landscape to his desire. Which meant that half of enemies ranks fell in a river of lava. Keith noticed Shiro fighting surrounded by the dark warriors. As the army approached, Keith jumped off of his Lion and charged at them. 

If it was anyone but Keith, people would think that they were crazy. But Keith was good against a lot of people, or whatever these things were. His swords blade glowed hot red and a horrifying war-cry came out of Keith’s mouth. It took a moment for him to meet the army but when he did, They didn’t know what hit them. 

Smoky red energy seemed to slither out of Keiths form and he seemed to move faster than physically possible. Even though he was outnumbered one thousand to one, he seemed to be kicking their collective ass. With some help from Shiro and Allura of course. They both were also fighting their own huge groups of barbarians. They held their own pretty well. Allura’s stalf moved faster than her enemies could account for and she took out five of them in a single swipe. 

Over two thirds of the army was dead before the rest of them had the decency to back down. Keith and Shiro made their way to Allura when it was all over. None of them seemed too injured, maybe a cut or too but nothing lethal. They headed back to Keith’s palace to take care of their wounds before departing for the water tribes. To find the next stone in a place Keith was not enthusiastic about going. To meet with Lance McClain. Oh god.


	4. Lance- Polaroid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Lance yay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK also give me feedback you cowards. and if you haven't guessed, THE SONGS DONT ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING FOR THE STORY

I'm a reckless mistake  
I'm a cold night's intake  
I'm a one night too long  
I'm a come on too strong

All my life I've been living in the fast lane  
Can't slow down  
I'm a rollin' freight train  
One more time  
Gotta start all over  
Can't slow down  
I'm a lone red rover

I'm a hold my cards close  
I'm a wreck what I love most  
I'm a first class let down  
I'm a shut up sit down

I am a head case  
I am the color of boom  
That's never arriving  
At you are the pay raise  
Always a touch out of view  
And I am the color of boom

Oh  
How did it come to this  
Oh  
Love is a polaroid  
Better in picture  
But never can fill the void

I’m gonna get ready  
For the rain to pour heavy  
Oh, let it fall, fall  
Let it fall upon my head

***

 

Lance was genuinely surprised by the arrival of three royals. He vaguely recognized the winged man, and the beautiful woman but he definitely recognized the asshole with the red tattoos and the violet eyes. He narrowed his eyes at the man and stayed quiet as his parents, the King and Queen of the Water Tribes, spoke to the royalty in front of him. 

 

“It is a pleasant surprise to see you all in one place. I bet i can guess why you’re here…” Lance's father spoke in his deep voice to the newcomers. The royalty, and Keith, bowed respectfully to the King sitting on his dramatic glass throne. 

 

“The Dark Kingdom is taking over the light and we have to use the stones to defeat the King. Your son, Prince Lance, is vital to our mission and the survival of our kingdoms.” Shiro, The masculine winged man, spoke first. He seemed to be the leader. Although the woman, Allura, the princess of the fallen light kingdom, looked just as imposing and powerful. Both of which, were extremely attractive. But Lance didn’t have time to think about that… 

 

After Shiro had spoken, the King and Queen of the Water tribes exchanged glances before they looked back at the group hesitantly. Lance’s heart sank, He knew exactly what his parents would say, He knew that he wouldn’t be allowed to go with the other royals on a dangerous quest. 

 

“I’m afraid you have traveled here in vain… I fear my son is not ready for such endeavors and dangerous quests. We will allow safe passage and our hospitality for the night but that is it.” They said it like it was memorized and Lance winced when they said that he wasn't ready. Of course he was ready! He had trained his whole life for such an opportunity but he still wasn't anything compared to his older siblings. 

 

He may have been chosen to guard the time stone and chosen by the blue lion but everyone seemed to feel like that was a mistake. Out of everyone, why him? He was the youngest of the tribes heirs and basically guaranteed to not get a share of the land or any area to rule. His siblings would scoff at him for being the “chosen one.” And they would blame his lower upbringing on why the lion chose him. The blue lion was mysterious in her choices of owners. Out of all of his siblings… the lion chose him. And he was chosen to be the guardian of the time stone. So why did he still feel less than them? 

 

He shook his head to escape from his thoughts to see Shiro and Allura’s grim faces. Oh yeah, they were just denied help from the water tribes that he had no influence over. 

 

“I'm afraid it won't be as simple as a quick denial. This is for the greater good of millions of people. We need Lance. We need the Time Stone.” Allura pleaded. “It won't matter if he is ready if lives are in stake. No one is really ready for this type of war.” 

 

“Father… mother. I promise I can do it. If there are lives at stake, I can't stay back while I have the power to help-” Lance tried to convince his parents.

 

“I forbid it! What have they ever done for us! We can protect ourselves from the darkness but we can't protect anyone else. It's safe here.” Lance’s father's voice echoed throughout the enclosed throne chamber. No one seemed willing to challenge his father's fury but he swore that he saw a sly glance between the visiting royals. 

 

Something was going on. And Lance had a feeling that he wouldn't be trapped in his kingdom for much longer. 

 

***

 

The evening was tense. The food of course was specially made and fresh from the gardens. There was a soft musical essence that flowed softly throughout the room that only amplified the silence between the royalty in the room. Lance was sat by the winged chief of the air kingdom and he was only slightly concerned about being slapped in the face with the man's massive wingspan. 

 

“Meet me in your quarters after dinner. This is more important than anything you can imagine and the lack of a single infinity stone could cause the lives of thousands.” Shiro muttered under his breath so only Lance could hear. Lance was kind of surprised to be honest. 

 

“Are you asking me to disregard my parents orders?” Lance smirked a little. “Because I accept. You heard me in my father's court. I can't stand by while innocent people are being killed if I can do something about it. I hope you have a plan to slip past my parents…” he took a drink of blue liquid out of his delicate goblet. 

 

Lance made sure to finish his dinner as quickly as he could in a polite enough manner. His mother led the Light kingdom princess Allura to the women's wing of the pale castle and his father led the male royalty to the mens wing of the castle. Lance headed to his suite at the top of a high tower in the mens wing of the castle. It would be easy for Shiro to find as it was paved in pale gold and color shifting rugs. As the winding stairs led to his room the decoration became more personalized. At the bottom of the stairs it was simply family paintings and decorative weapons but as the stairs led upward, more paintings and artistic depictions of Lance were hung up on the walls. 

 

Lance noticed how the artists would always erase certain imperfections like his freckles and the mole on his neck. They made his eyes a brighter blue and they seemed to create a better version of him. It was like the real him wasn’t good enough for them. In the artwork his face was always sharp and it made him look much older than he really was. The softness and innocence in his face was always replaced with the expression of someone else. The expression that they gave him was identical to the face that his father always wore. An expression Lance could only describe as ‘kingly.’ 

 

Lance jogged up the stairs to his room. He needed time to pack before he would be collected for the banned mission. The Blue lion was asleep on her velvet pillow with her large paws over her snout and her eyes peacefully closed until she sensed Lance approach. Her feline warm yellow eyes glanced over him curiously as if she knew that something was going on. 

 

“Hey Blue. we’re going on a little uh… adventure. I hope you’re up to it as I doubt that hippocampi are as good out of water.” He smiled nervously hoping that the lion would allow him to ride her for the quest. She reminded him of his mother but nicer and more focused on him. The lion would come up to his bed at night and groom him which he would think was cute but he tongue was rough and kind of hurt. 

 

The lion nodded and stood up before stretching and yawning, showing her sharp canines. Sometimes Lance forgot that the gentle cat was a fearsome predator. This was one of the times when he remembered. He scratched the beasts chin and took the ring that held the time stone out of its hidden box. He put it on his middle finger of his right hand and started to pack. 

 

He didn’t get too far before he heard a knock at his door. The Blue lion looked up curiously and headed to the door to greet the winged man that was to come through. Lance opened the door and smiled at the Chief of the air tribes. 

 

“I have good news. We don’t actually have to sneak you out. I discussed our situation with your father and I got him to agree to let you come with us. There were conditions of course but everything was taken care of.” Lance noticed that Shiro looked different when he smiled…

 

“Conditions? Like what?’ Lance instinctively turned his head to the side and raised his eyebrow. 

 

“Well, your father wanted me to keep an eye on you the whole time… and I had to promise to find you a spouse when we get back. He seemed very interested in marrying you off…” Lance rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah my parents had one too many kids to rule each of the tribes. Maybe you could introduce me to the princess in your group.” Lance tried to stay lighthearted despite the slight dropping of his heart. Of course his parents wanted to get rid of him… not because they actually thought that he could do anything. They were even making this guy that he barely knew his babysitter! Lance was twenty two! He didn't need a babysitter! 

 

“We’ll see… and don't worry, I just have to act kind of protective over you when we leave then I'll leave you alone. Seriously I'm only a few years older than you, and they expect me to take care of you like you're a child.” Shiro rolled his eyes playfully and Lance was glad that he caught on because lance was not. A. Child. 

 

“Thank you. I promise that I won't let you guys down. Despite what my parents think, I've been training my whole life. I think that if they couldn't marry me off they were going to put me in charge of our army…” Lance shrugged. 

 

“Get ready. And some sleep. We’re leaving for the earth kingdom at dawn.”


	5. Hunk- it Comes Back to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is Hunk dealing with? FIND OUT NOW ON ABC's ANGST PATROL
> 
>  
> 
> I'm a comedian thank you

4 A.M. beside myself  
And what I think of mental health  
All the things that worry me  
All the things you don’t believe  
I’ve been told just what to do  
Where to look and point my view  
All the things that I could be  
I think I learned in therapy  
Am I just a shadow you drew?

It comes back to you, it comes back to you  
All the things that you had lost will find their way to you  
It comes back to you, it comes back to you  
Looking back into the past and I can see it through

Mocking birds and diamond rings  
Oh I have thought of greater things  
All the things that fly by me  
All the lives that I could lead  
Maybe I was born for that  
Or maybe I was first to last  
You could call it cowardliness  
But leave me to my studied bliss  
Am I just a shadow you drew?

 

***

 

Hunk sat by his mother's bed and held her weak hand as she slept. His mother had been near death for weeks and Hunk had been crowned chief as soon as his mother's condition worsened for the first time. He spent most of his days by her side now but the reports of the dark army approaching their realm forced him to leave her to fight. So far they had built an impenetrable wall that was well guarded. 

 

Over the last few days his mother had been almost comatose and the medical experts of the realm had assured him that she had days left at most. He left his advisor in charge and stayed with his mother as much as he could just in case she woke up without him there or died before he could say goodbye. 

 

A woman came through the rock doorway and she quietly got his attention. 

 

“My chief? We have some important visitors who require your presence…” She said gently. 

 

“Thank you Shay. can you keep an eye on my mother? I would like to be informed if she wakes up or…” The large man stopped himself. The woman just nodded and gave him a comforting pat. 

 

“I will take care of everything. You should go…” Shay nodded and gently pushed him out. The visitors must be pretty important if Shay is being this pushy. He passed the chambers of the lion, of which his yellow male lion was slumbering. But immediately as he passed the huge creature stood up and followed him curiously. He made his way to the throne room where any outside visitors would be escorted and his eyebrows lifted as he realized who had come to see him. Four well known members of royalty stood in front of him. Most of which he knew only because they held the remaining infinity stones. He knew Prince Lance the most as they had met multiple times for peace treaties and trade deals. He had only met the other three once before when he had been given the soul infinity stone to protect and wield. 

 

“Welcome. I assume with all of the attacks you did not come to party…” Hunk sighed and the grim royals nodded before one of them spoke up. 

 

“We need to gather the stones or else the dark kingdom will consume everything and kill everyone.” The sole woman in the group spoke gravely she explained the situation and Hunk listened carefully. 

 

“I understand. Unfortunately this is… a bad time. My mother is dying and I would prefer to be here with her. I will have to think about this matter more but we would be honored to host you all here until a decision is made.” Hunk assured. The yellow lion seemed to be scanning the visitors and their lions. He didn’t know much of the lore behind the Lions or even the infinity stones. Which is why he was slightly confused when his yellow lion bumped his head affectionately against the red lion. Hunk decided not to bring it up but he kept his feelings about it to himself. It was really damn cute... but he was a sucker for his lion even if he wasn’t doing something cute. 

 

“I would understand if you would prefer to stay. I lost my father only days ago but we will need you. I hope you know that there isn’t much time for us. We head to the forest clan in the morning at the latest. We’re running out of time.” Hunk winced a little.

 

“The Princess of the forest clan will be harder to recruit. After the King and the prince disappeared she has been running the kingdom alone. She has uh… Trust issues.” Hunk shrugged as he remembered his recent meeting with the barbarian princess of the forest clan. Princess Katie was hardened by the loss of her family and she was forced into responsibility at a young age. Hunk would feel bad for her but he know that she would be pissed off at his pity. 

 

“I guess we’ll deal with that problem when we get there. Now, if you please, We have been traveling for hours and I think that I require a nap before I can correctly decipher thoughts.” The princess of the light kingdom said and Hunk started to notice her weariness. 

 

“Of course. I can escort you all to some sleeping quarters. You will all be woken up before dinner.” Hunk smiled despite the horrors of the world that were building up on him. He led them all to places to sleep with varying degrees of small conversation with them all. Then the maid Shay came running to him. 

 

“Your mother! She is awake!”

 

***

 

“-But I can’t leave you mother…” Hunk sat back at his mother’s bedside and looked into her weak and tired eyes. She looked much older than she was due to the sickness. Hunk didn’t think that she was old enough to die…

 

“Tsuyoshi…” Hunks mother’s voice was heartbreakingly weak and quiet. Hunk had to strain his ears to hear his mother say his name. “They need you more than I do. I promise that I will not die without you by my side”

 

“Well… If these are the last things you hear from me… I just want you to know that I love you.” He stood up and his mother held onto his hand for a moment longer. 

 

“And may my last words be that you are so much more than you ever know. You will make me proud. They gave you that stone and the lion chose you for a reason.” 

 

His mother then rapidly fell asleep.

 

***

 

“If this is as urgent as you say, we have to leave as soon as possible.” Hunk said at the feasting table where the royalty was gladly eating the food that Hunk had a hand in preparing. 

 

“We have all had enough rest. We can travel through the night even if it is dangerous. It will also be much easier to hide from the army of darkness.” Allura nodded. Obviously pleased that Hunk had decided to join their party. 

 

“Then we leave after dinner… or I guess in this case, dessert.” Hunk decreed. 

 

“Wait there’s dessert?” Lance said with a playful smile. Hunk was glad that there was someone like Lance here. Everyone was so serious and it, even after only a few hours had taken quite the toll on him. 

 

“Of course. We’re not animals.” Hunk smiled. He decided to be optimistic this time. Even if he died he would meet his mother in the afterlife and they wouldn’t be apart for too long. 

 

“Yay.’ Lance grinned.

 

***

 

They left the Stone Kingdom at sunset and headed towards the forest clan. The lions weren’t the fastest animals but they were surprisingly comfortable to sit on. Hunk was surprised that no one else was able to nap on their lions. But that could be the painful anxiety to save the world and stop the destruction of the thousands of people that lived there keeping them all awake. Which was fair. 

 

They traveled for agonizingly quiet hours until scrambled howls echoed off of the ground and caused an empty grumble throughout their bodies and Hunk came to the realization that they were about to be attacked. He took his thin circular shield off of his back and the orange stone in the center easily lit up the open field in front of them. Their lions stopped and sniffed the air with suspicion. 

 

“Everyone… get ready for anything…” Shiro whispered and lifted his infinity stone powered arm in front of him, ready to defend himself. Allura took out a pale luminescent staff and Keith took out a sword with his stone implanted in its hilt. Lance just held up his hand with a glowing blue ring on his finger like it was all of the weapon that he needed. Low, vaguely doglike growls rattled Hunks bones. But somehow this felt different than a normal attack. This gave Hunk the feeling worse than being watched. Like they were being surrounded by demons that were all watching them. It made him extremely paranoid. Then all hell broke loose and unlike what Shiro had ordered, no one was actually ready. 

 

A dark beast launched itself out of the shadows with a sound no natural animal would be able to make and before anyone else could react, Lance sped to the beast in a blur and stabbed it with a small knife. It collapsed to the ground in a wheezing scream and more of the beasts emerged. Hunk didn’t have time to see the other royalty fight as he was busy throwing his shield like a frisbee. It came back to his hand like a powerful magnet and he beheaded the smoky animal with a single swipe. They were holding up pretty well until Lance got tackled to the ground with a feminine scream. Hunk hit a beast away as he attempted to get to lance but before he could, Shiro transported to Lance and ripped the beast away from him with only minimal damage to Lance.

 

Hunk narrowly put his shield between him and another beast before throwing it off of him. He let out a growl and took out a group of the beasts with the sharp edge of his shield. But with Lance injured and everyone sleep deprived they were quickly overwhelmed and Hunk started to lose hope. Then a miracle happened. High pitched war cries sounded behind them and stunned the thousands of beasts for a moment before Hunk could see the new potential allies. 

 

They were mostly women in barbarian armor and green warpaint. Leading them was a woman with long brown hair and a crown of antlers and a green gem placed on her forehead riding a green lioness. It was the princess of the forest tribe and her army. And she looked out for blood.


	6. Pidge- Friction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oof this is a long one. Anyway my first attempt at something shippy in this fic.

Get down with the victim  
We both know you need them  
You’re stuck in the middle  
Of all irrelevance  
And your heart is beating  
'Cause you know that you gotta  
Get out of the middle  
And rise to the top now

When you’ve made it  
Won’t ya tell me what to do  
'Cause I’m playin' it all wrong  
When you made it, when you made it  
Won’t ya tell me what to do  
'Cause I’m playin' it all wrong

You can’t fight the friction  
So ease it off  
Can’t take the pressure  
So ease it off  
Don’t tell me to be strong  
Ease it off  
You can’t fight the friction  
So ease it off

When you’ve made it  
Won’t ya tell me what to do  
'Cause I’m playin' it all wrong  
When you made it, when you made it  
Won’t ya tell me what to do  
'Cause I’m playin' it all wrong

You can’t fight the friction

 

***

 

The mind stone allowed Princess Katie Holt to foresee and predict the future. She was in the middle of a betrothal contest fight when the stone decided to project the dark image of a group of royals being overwhelmed by the dark beasts that she was much too familiar with. She got out of the revelation just in time to dodge her suitors attack with a sword. She foresaw his next move and knocked him to the ground with her own short sword to his throat. She immediately stood up and her eyes gazed around the onlookers until she found the face she was looking for. 

 

“Ryner. I need you to prepare the army. There’s going to be an attack during the night.” She put her sword in it’s holster and flipped her hair out of her face. And they departed after the sun had set and she rode her green lion to battle. 

 

***

 

Katie let out the first warcry and her army repeated her yell a thousandfold. Their sprinted down the valley on the backs of their large felines with the green lion leading them. They rode everything from hybrids and mythical felines with wings to purebred tigers and panthers. There was nothing better than having your steed also be able to rip the opposing the army apart just as well as its rider. 

 

Their animals jumped over the vaguely familiar royals and they took out the army of doglick creatures in mere minutes with a bunch of them running away with their tails in between their legs. Then Katie turned to the people that he had just saved. She disembarked from her green lion and examined them more. The mind stone gave her all of the information that she would need. 

 

[Takashi Shirogane, Chief of the Air Tribes, age 25, Angelus: Avian Humanoid, Guardian of the Space Stone and chosen paladin of the Black lion. Due to this right arm being metal and powered by the infinity stone, he is weak on the opposite side and his muscles prevent him from having a huge range of motion.] 

 

Katie remembered the arm… Her brother had made that arm... 

 

[Keith Kogane, Newly crowned king of the Fire kingdom, age 23, Ignis avem: Human phoenix hybrid, Guardian of the Reality Stone and the chosen paladin of the red lion, trained for combat at birth but doesn’t pay attention to his environment and gets distracted easily. He is fast and his stone allows him to change what others see and can even drastically change his environment if he has the time and focus. Infinity stone contained in a specially made black iron sword.] 

 

Katie wasn’t sure about this fire king. She would have to find out more about him. 

 

[Lance McClain, Prince of the Water Tribes, age 23, Lympha udna: Water Nymph, Guardian of the Time Stone and the chosen Paladin of the Blue Lion, careless fighting style, unfocused but the stone allows him to manipulate time to make himself supernaturally fast. He is a remarkable marksman and when he is focused, is incredibly precise and deadly. Infinity stone contained in small silver ring.] 

 

With the infinity stone, Katie was worried about Lance. He didn’t look like much but she didn’t dare underestimate anyone. 

 

[Hunk Garrett, King of the Stone Tribes, age 23, Lapis tractatori: Stone controlling race, Guardian of the Soul stone and the chosen paladin of yellow lion, Defensive fighting style, uses shield as a weapon and controls the earth to his advantage. He is incredibly strong but not fast. Although he only fights when he needs to and is generally a nonviolent person. Nothing to be afraid of. Infinity stone contained in center of indestructible shield.] 

 

Katie didn’t worry about Hunk unless he would get a solid hit on her. He could probably break her bones with a single blow. 

 

[Allura Altea, Princess of the Fallen Light Kingdom, Age 24, Anceps ergo figura: Shapeshifter, Last known controller of life energy, Last known Light alchemist, Both fast and strong, focused and aware of surroundings. Incredible combatant but does not wield an infinity stone like everyone else.] 

 

This Princess was who Katie was the most worried about. Although she didn’t have an infinity stone, she had no physical weaknesses. She was a perfect combination of fast, strong and agile. 

She thought this all in the moment that she examined the royals. They seemed a little stunned. And oddly quiet…

 

“You’re welcome. You would be wise to accept the forest clans hospitality as I am sure we have… some things to talk about.” She motioned to Ryner who examined everyone for injuries and bound Prince Lance’s wounds before starting to lead them back to her home. 

 

***

 

Immediately once Katie arrived at the hidden entrance of the forest clan, she was challenged by someone who wanted to be her husband. It was tradition to fight for the princesses hand in the Fae culture. In the past few weeks, she had fought hundreds of men and even a few women. She wouldn’t be crowned queen until she could find a spouse. She couldn’t rule the clan alone at least not due to tradition. But she wouldn't dare defy tradition. Her father would’ve wanted her to do what her foremothers had done and fight for her hand. But no one had gotten close to beating her even without the infinity stone. So she was in an endless loop of never becoming the queen. And she couldn’t do anything until someone beat her in combat. 

 

Anyway, The man approached her and automatically, her army made a circle around them and they politely pulled the other royalty out of the way. Katie bowed to the man who bowed back before pulling out a longsword. Katie pulled out her shortsword after pulling her hair back in a messy ponytail. The man made the foolish mistake of launching himself at her while she was getting ready. At this point, the dishonorable way of starting that would’ve kicked him out of the fight in the first few days, was ignored as everyone was eager for Katie to end the cycle. But she will never dumb herself down just to finish the contest. 

 

She blocked his blow with her sword and the information about the man popped up clearly in her head. 

 

[Haxus, age 34, (A little old for her…) Caligo nox: Dark elf. A spy from the dark kingdom. Motto- no surrender, Victory or Death. He would force me to kill him. He is tall and strong due to his species and pretty fast. His long sword gives him more range and his tall stature gives him an advantage of angle. But he is proud and arrogant. you have a high probability of beating him.]

 

She took out his feet from under him and swiped her sword at him but he rolled away and quickly stood back up. If she could get close enough to him he would be doomed but he seemed to understand the same thing. He kept his distance where his longsword only could reach her. She blocked every stab and she started to piece together his fighting style. He seemed aimed to kill, not just to disarm her. But she could handle it. He always went too far and seemed to dramatize every move which gave her the opportunity to get close enough to stab him through the left lung. But she knew that even in unimaginable pain, he would die for his cause. And he would refuse to give her any information. So she ended his pain. She stabbed him through his heart and he died quickly. People seemed stunned. She realized that not everyone knew what she knew. 

 

“He was a spy sent from the Dark Kingdom. He would’ve killed me if I gave him the chance. Now, I need to rest before i go through another day of challenges. Let us take our guests to my palace. We all know that there are too many empty rooms. I guess I will have to explain to them what is going on anyway.” She shiethed her bloody sword and went back to her lion. She scratched the cats neck and walked casually to the castle with the other royals seemingly speechless. But Katie wasn’t in the mood to address it. She just made her way to the castle and let Ryner lead everyone else to their quarters for some sleep. 

 

As she expected, Ryner explained the situation to the royals of how she was stuck in the loop of finding a spouse and was currently unable to leave the clans realms. It was a good thing that the royals had gotten stuck in her land, or else due to tradition she would not have been allowed to help. But Ryner also suggested something that Katie wouldn’t have brought up as a solution. Ryner told them that they were the only match for Katie and if they wanted her help to defeat Zarkon. Of course it would be one on one and the first one to win would have to marry her but it would be the only way to get her help. And surprisingly, some of the royals were excited about this challenge. 

 

***

 

The next morning, Katie was definitely surprised when the group of royals came up to her to tell them their plan to get her to join their quest. She had already figured out that they were going up against the king of the dark kingdom, why else would they be gathering up the infinity stones? And apparently they understood that she couldn’t leave without the ritual to get herself a husband or at least a wife being finished. In the Fae culture, procreation isn’t as much of a priority as getting a spouse and with the magic that they held, same sex couples could have biological children. And considering that fae were slightly more likely to be female, there were a lot of lesbians. Honestly it was pretty nice. 

 

“Okay… To make it fair though I will need time to recuperate after each match… And i warn you, I won’t dull myself down just to get things over with. If i win every match, you all have to leave me alone.” Katie said sternly. 

 

“We promise, We just need you for this mission and any of us would be lucky to have you as a wife.” Shiro said. Katie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was definitely trying to make a good impression but she only agreed because she was curious to find out if she could actually win. And none of them were not attractive… she would probably end up liking them all as a husband or in Alluras case, a wife. Even if they ended up being assholes, They would live in different kingdoms. Like an unofficial divorce. 

 

“Fine. Who is going to be the unlucky first one?” Lance raised his hand after Katie spoke. 

 

***

Lance was fast. And for some reason refused to use his stone. Katie however didn’t have much of a choice. Her stone was spiritually connected to her and gave her information constantly. At times it was helpful but most of the time it was just exhausting. But knowing your opponents weaknesses was essential for her in a fight. She knew exactly what they would do a moment before they did it but it was her own skill that decided what to do beyond that. Her stone could tell her but not make her act. That is why after her mother died and her father and brother disappeared, she ordered the general of their armies to train her and she was determined to do anything in her power to be worthy of the stone that had chosen her to weild and guard it. 

 

Lance was about to use his spear to try to knock her off of her feet. She anticipated the attack and jumped at the time that he swung his spear under her feet. He was fast enough that it was difficult for her to completely foresee his moves. He was also incredibly accurate and he knew where he wanted to hit her. Where it wouldn’t hurt but didn’t do any major damage. And that could have been his weakness. Sure it was reasonable as they needed to be in their best shape to face Zarkon, but it could be exploited nonetheless. 

 

She knew that he would use the blunt end of his spear more often so she was able to catch it while he jabbed it at her and before he had time to react, she was able to pull his whole body down with the new leverage. Then she quickly swung around his shoulders and grabbed another part of the spear. Before Lance knew it, he had the metal of his own spear to his throat. After a moment of being unable to breathe, he tapped out and she released him. He looked disappointed in himself but Katie was honestly impressed. No one in her own clan could hold out so long in a fight against her and he didn’t even use the advantage that he had. He could have turned back time or put them in a loop but instead he stayed honorable and fought against her only using his skill. 

 

Maybe this contest would end earlier than she thought that it would…

 

***

 

The next royal to challenge her was Keith from the Fire kingdom. She already knew that he was an extremely good fighter and he was willing to actually use his tone to his own advantage. She also knew that he only cared about her being on his team to defeat Zarkon and that he did not particularly want to marry her. Too bad, The fire kingdom and the forest clan would be an unstoppable force. They were both known for their armies. The fire kingdoms was relentless and strong but the forests army was incredibly sneaky and tactful. They would sneak up on their enemies and take them out easily. A full frontal assault was only for smaller groups or emergencies. 

 

Keith wasn’t as careful as Lance. He didn’t seem to care if he hurt Katie, which would be refreshing if the dark elf from the day before had not had a similar style. Keith wasn’t as fast as Lance but he was more flexible and strong. 

 

Keith used offense as his defense and at first, Katie struggled. She wasn’t sure how to block all of his rapidfire attacks and she ended up being grazed by his sword a few times. If he had enough time he would even twist his sword and morph their surroundings using the reality stone. But he had a pattern. Katie took a minute to catch on but she found that he didn’t use his height over her as an advantage. He lowered himself to her level, although it made him less able to dodge her attacks, it kept him balanced. But was it? When he used the stone, he leaned forward too much, if she could get him off balance, there was no way he could win. 

 

He thrusted his sword at her and instead of blocking it, she dodged by rolling between his legs and kicking his legs out from under him. Before he could get up, she launched herself at him and used her legs to choke him until he would give up. It took longer than Lance but he tapped out before he passed out. 

 

Two down, About two to go. Unless the princess without an infinity stone advantage decided to challenge her. But Katie highly doubted it. Female combatants were much more rare and she doubted that Allura would want to go against her after the woman's kingdom had fallen and father killed. Katie understood if Allura would pass up the opportunity.

 

***

 

The winged king volunteered next. Shiro would be hard. He was incredibly strong and surprisingly flexible as well as quick and aware of his surroundings. He had barely any weaknesses. But he wasn’t as strong on his non-mechanical side. And his large dark wings could get in his way. Unless he used their strength against her and used their massive size against her… But like Lance, he was compassionate. And he didn’t actually want to hurt her. This was definitely the closest thing that she could consider as a weakness. 

 

But there was one more thing she could exploit. His metal arm. The one her brother created. Even without the mind stone she knew exactly how the soulfusing machinery worked. She identified the points where the tension in the joints could be adjusted. They were not as well armored and weaker than the rest of the arm. If she could strike the right spot, the arm would be rendered useless. 

 

She noticed that Shiro only used his arm as a weapon and didn’t use one of the provided weapons. She took a moment to decide what weapon would suit her the best and chose a small knife. She smiled a bit when she entered the designated arena for the fight. She stayed far enough away from Shiro so that he wouldn’t be able to slap her or whatever he planned on doing. 

 

At first they just circled each other. A moment before it happened, Katie saw Shiro launch himself at her with his wings tucked tightly in his ripped frame. She rolled away too late and felt a hard impact on a few of her ribs. She ignored the pain and used her arm to stop the impact of the metal arm from striking her. His form disappeared in a cloud of smoke and she immediately turned with her knife in front of her as Shiro reappeared with the knife barely touching his chest. He quickly disappeared and this time she had to do more guestwork to figure out where he would appear. 

She didn’t have much time to think as she felt the cold metal of his arm around her neck. She felt herself being lifted in the air and she began to gasp for breath. But she was now close enough to his metal arm. She closed her eyes and threw her small knife back. It hit its mark right in the center of his metal arms antecubital fossa. He dropped her and she landed on her feet. She turned and ripped the knife out of his inner elbow before being forced to dodge a wing swinging her way. 

 

She slid around his body but he disappeared before she could attack from behind. She foresaw where he would appear and she dodged a swing from his normal working arm before she could come up with a way to beat him without him just transporting away. 

 

[Space stone: Sister stone to the other five infinity stones. Lets the wielder transport themselves short distances in an instant and with the right tools, can create portals with the ability to transport armies thousands of miles at a time. The wielder can be separated from the stone to prevent further transportation. Recommended course of action: Separate infinity stone from the air chief and use the several sensitive points to incapacitate him.]

 

Helpful… She just had to sever the part of the arm that held the stone. She would be able to fix it or replace his arm so she wasn’t worried about that. She would still have to beat him after that but she was busy dodging his fleshy arm and wings. His metal arm was dangling uselessly at his side but it didn’t stop him or even slow him down. She kind of wished that she had chosen a different weapon… a small knife wouldn't be able to do much more than incapacitate the arm. But she didn’t have much of a choice. At least she could work with a knife. 

 

But first things first. She needed to separate Shiro from the space stone that was attached to his metal arm. Not the easiest task. But still doable. 

 

All of this went through Katies mind in a blink of an eye as she blocked an attack with her knife. She looked at Shiro’s mechanical arm for a brief moment before throwing her knife in the air and catching it by its hilt with her free hand. She stabbed it in the important mechanisms in the flexible point of the elbow before yanking it off with enough force to rip the bottom half of the arm off. She had successfully separated Shiro from his stone. Now she had to beat him normally. Dang it, why did this have to be so complicated…

 

She ducked his fist which was a moment from coming in contact with her chest before grabbing the broken half of the arm and backing away from him. She could sense the other infinity stones power and it made her feel more aware of her surroundings like she had just been electrocuted but there was no pain. Just pure energy. She realized that she could be one of the only people to hold two infinity stones at once. 

 

She closed her eyes for a moment and thought of a destination. A few feet above Shiro’s head. She felt her body go light and surprisingly felt nothing before she felt herself materialize in her destination. 

 

She opened her eyes before hitting her target with her feet and causing Shiro to stumble. She wrapped her legs around his neck and violently yanked herself backwards which caused Shiro to lose his balance even more and he fell on his back. His wings were splayed out on his sides and at least seemed to be out of the picture. Shiro was surprisingly calm. He didn't grab at his throat or freak out. But he frantically slapped at her leg as a surrender and she let him go. 

 

“Sorry, I'll fix your arm before you leave…” she apologized and gave him the other half of his arm. 

 

“If you're anything like your brother, I'm sure you'll do better than that.” He chuckled and rubbed his neck a little. 

 

***

 

“For the record… I don't really want to do this…” Hunk said as he raised his shield. 

 

“You're the last guy in the group. You don't have much of a choice unless you forfeit.” Katie shrugged.

 

“Can I do that instead?”

 

“Then you'll have no chance of taking me with you on this suicide quest.” 

 

“Not quite…” a new voice spoke up. It was the princess of the fallen kingdom, Allura. Katie was pleasantly surprised at the gesture. “I am Princess Allura of the light kingdom. And I challenge you to your hand in marriage .” Katie smirked before bowing respectfully. 

 

“I accept.” 

 

***

 

Katie had never fought a shapeshifter before so she was prepared with multiple different weapons. They didn't end up doing her any good though. 

 

Allura stood across from her with only a staff as a weapon. But Katie knew that Allura wouldn't need much of a weapon. She was one. 

 

They took a moment to stalk and look at each other before Alluras eyes and moonlike markings started to glow. The woman's body morphed into a large creature. Elegant leathery wings protruded from a sleek but sharply scaled body which was a pure, almost fluorescent white. The bright light of her eyes faded to a striking blue and looked too human to fit on the large winged reptile. There was a colorful holographic sheen on the creatures scales that temporarily hypnotized Katie but she forced herself out of it to look at the grand dragon in front of her. The beast had sharp but elegant features that gave her the sense of awed dread. Of fear but also amazement.

 

She had never had the pleasure to fight a dragon before and her normal choking maneuver wouldn't work. She had a slight yearning to lose as she felt a sense of duty to go on the death quest. She didn't need the Mind stones prophetic powers to have a feeling that this would be a fight that she wouldn't win. At least not without killing the beast that was actually a princess. 

 

[Regina Draco album: Dragon breed gone extinct 10,000 years ago. Impenetrable scales and fire breath made it the top of the food chain for millions of years before they began to decline in population due to birth complications. Weak points include-]

 

[ERROR: Shapeshifter detected!]

 

Katie almost groaned. The Mind stone had almost given her valuable information but had thought that alerting her that the dragon wasn’t actually a dragon was much more important. Typical… 

 

As the dragon reared for her attack katie noticed several other details. The ground climbing up on of her feet, preventing her from moving, The speed of time seemed to accelerate but her body felt frozen in place. She knew instantly that Allura was using outside help from the royals wielding the other infinity stones. This was the moment She knew that there was no chance of winning. So instead of fighting back and risking hurting the princess, she decided to use the creatures size against it and see if she could get the creature to get tired. It couldn’t be easy to hold such a large and powerful form for so long. 

 

But the slowing of time around her prevented her from being able to do much and as she was attached to the ground, she could only stand there as the dragon easily pounced on her. Katie had a feeling that Allura had shrunk her reptilian body enough to not cause as much damage. 

 

The beasts snout was only inches away from Katie’s face and the dragons hot breath wasn’t sour and acidic like most monsters but rather sweet and floral. This kind of surprised Katie but she didn’t have time to think too much about it as the dragon began to speak. 

 

“That seemed much too easy.” The vaguely feminine voice of the beast rumbled throughout the arena. 

 

“I guess that’s what happens when you cheat… But I guess it’s my fault for not explaining the rules. Do you accept my surrender?” Katie smiled a little bit and dropped the sword in her hand.

 

“Gladly.” The dragon shrunk back into the white haired princess who was now kneeling over Katie’s small form on the ground. She started to blush as she realized what this meant but Allura was way ahead of her. Allura did something that was unexpected to even Katie with her prophesying stone. Allura leaned down and kissed her before helping her up gently. “So would you like to wait for the wedding or have a quick one before we leave?” 

 

“Uh, I think we should wait to get back for, you know, proper festivities…” Katie wasn’t sure why she was so wordless and even kind of excited. She looked out to the cheering audience and smiled as she saw the smug royalty who had cheated during the match. ‘Behold!” She shouted out to the hundreds of nature spirits and humanoids. “Queen Allura of the Light Kingdom! My very recently betrothed!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you like the long chapters? Let me know what i can do better and what you like about my work! I would really appreciate it!


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